Transmission control



Sept. 6, 1949. J. c. AUTEN TRANSMISSION CONTROL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledJune 27, 1946 INVENTOR. 7kg 6: Haze/1.

BY I H aml 64W Sept. 6, 1949. .1. c. AUTEN TRANSMISSION CQNTROL 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 2'7, 1946 INVENTOR. 72 6. Wage/1. BY

Patented Sept. 6, 1949 2,481,465 feissnrsswn downer.

Jay e; Ch

Application .iii'nzt, 1946'; serial No. mast 3''"i'iixiis';

This invention relates,minis ered n rteem trol linkage for motor'veh'La'nd mo re par'ticu larly it pertains; to shift control lip kaig forcon; trolling the variable speed ratio drive of a motor vehicletransmission whichhas' ngappreciab e vibratory movement relative to thefr'arrieof the vehicle. I ,y I It has become customary tom'oimt th'-power plant of a motor vehicleor'i theframe thereof means or resilient miiiitmgs which allow t power plant to have'consider'able vibratorymovement relative to the vehicle irame. It" is also customary" toprovidefaf manual rem? I shift control" lever ro'tatabl'yj mpiirited;operators compartiiier'it of veh operatively' connecting lveri with theransmisg sion so that rotation oitllie'levr will eijfecta change in the"transmission speed ratio fdrive; It is desirable to mtimtflthis-ie [ontne' enicle body and frames'o that it w nogmoverelative oppositelyextending crank armsa-t it' resp ct tively opposite nds. onei' gtnem'hi; is connected tqth'e transmissiozicontrol eleme'rjt by acompression rod and the other crank larni is connected to'the shift'control'deventhroiigha link and roman-e s; 'Ihe ahove fsh aiftis pi eferably ol b'li a lil' i ik It i an qbi ei. m i re ieaiq" with? controlmechanism winch will transmit he'vol untary mot ions" imparted theretdbit eve icl'e driver but will not transfiiitifivolun'tai'v move ments ofthe transmission back through the I mechanism. V In the drawings: Fig.lisa side' elevationctlwieW of a." typical power plant and steeringwherinstallation'for a motor vehicle showing my invention applied 1 F 1he i s'ua j Q fram 1'? 151 1 trated as having mhunteditherein a powerplant c ri 'n a en ne iti -t h a d? ty Qt. tran mi s 171;: w en i' iaat' d t be m ip ts di t le st n art t v h d iv AS i 9 il y i kiw 9W?manti i dei in the: by fixi m ui tm (not; shown) whichfpermitconsiderable relative ncrem t' 4PW hfi? e s r lant' n r me... Th s mveme i i be in a i l d zr lti t lqn ti li d si i .o fi at a dime: 592110 ma s .59 i lof pp r plant ahoutai agis'jgr r 1 ay tea combinationof y of a ithes iip ions" v Aiconventionalsteeriiigwhel M" is mounted onaste r gle sti .Th d lih i a 1 cliried forwardly and downwardly fromthester} m h el- 2.. A? ih ism fi 'r r '1 tends'long itud inailyadjacent thepost Iiiahd a shift control lever lT" mounted on'the ippernq meteor. he red at is atlaptedto he rotated and reciprocated' inresponse to mdvementoi le'veji"- I71 liiecipro cation :of' rod 1 I 6 istransmitted throiighany sizitahle operating connection, such asthemwaenwire l8,306thetransmissien selector 1everfl|sj. Whehrod lGlisI rotatedahtii'itits akis su ch motion is"tra'iismitted through myn'ov'elmechanisiii'to the "transmiss on lever zmiie reby to operate" t etransmission"spee'dratio control el'einentwhicli hasben selected bylongitudinal movement ofro'd 6'. K I

Rod I6 may be rotatably and slidably moiinted adjacent its lower end toaccommodate its rotary 'ahd longitudinal mevem ms as is the bracket 2 lxed to the steering post: is. As 'r'mg; 22' surrounding r'o'd I Fahdreacting against bracketiZ'I may "be utilized to urge rod" l 6 to itslowermost position. W I

novel metzhanism' to "transmit rotation of rod l6 torotatioho'f lever20' wnrnow be described. A lever v 23" il'his trat'ed' as having" acrescent shape'tcf avoid interfr'enc e' with steerin; postfl stskeyed'tdthe' lower portion of rod I 6. A"dowhlw'ardlvextending rod 2 4: isrotatahly mtuntea on thefree end of 1ev'er"2 3 and isadaptedit-beratedbuttered as lever2-3 is rate ted mean ime i 'ro a i ble a one side ofthe' eng ansverse to'thei hide and 'has *orie end thr eof"pivotallv mounted on the frame and the other end pivotally mounted onthe power plant so that rotation on its longitudinal axis is possible. Acrank arm 26 on the shaft 25 adjacent the frame pivotal mounting has rod24 pivoted thereon so that upward and downward movement of rod 24 rotatecrank arm 3 26 and shaft 25. Shaft has a second crank arm 21 on the sidethereof adjacent the power plant and opposite the crank arm '26.

2,481,465 {31? T f ff 1 Arod 28 connects crank arm 21 and transmissionThe shaft 25 is preferably mounted as shown on ball joints. Framemounted bracket 30 carries ball 3|.

Shaft 25 has a cylindrical opening" :17

32 in which a socket member 33 is retained by;

snap ring 34. Socket member 33 has a-spherical At its recess 35 thereinwhich receives ball 3|. inner end shaft 25 is journalled on ball 36carried trol member between said leg portions, a universal joint supportfor one end of said shaft on by bracket 31 which is in turn fastened tothe clutch housing I '2.

member '40 which has a spherical opening 4! adapted to'receive ball 36.Lateral movement of the power plant relative to the frame lfl is taken Acylindrical opening 39; formed in shaft 25 slidably receives a socket upin movement of socket member 40 in opening 39. Opening 39 issufliciently deep, to retain Rotation of rod I6 is transmitted totransmission lever 20 by lever 23, rod 24, crank arm 26, shaft 25, crankarm 21, and rod 28. It is evident 1 socket member 40 therein within thelimits of v relative movement of power plant and frame.

that the power plant may have a wide range of movements relative to theframe without 'chang- 5 'ing the position of the control lever l1.Lateral movement of the power plant relative to the frame is taken careof by the sliding of. socket member 40 in cylindrical opening 39 therebychanging the effective length of shaft 25. Longi- ,tudinal movement ofthe power plant relativerto the frame moves ball 36 and transmissionlever 20 together. An angular movement of shaft 25 in a horizontal planeoccurs through the movement of ball 36 in its socket, the turning ofshaft 25 about ball 3| and this is accommodated by the sliding movementof socket member 40 in opening 39. The stationary point relative towhich these movements have occurred is contained in ball 3|. 7

, transmission mounted for movement relative to said frame and bodyassembly, means mounted within said frame and body assembly for changingthe speed ratio drive in said transmission, a

. control member mounted for movement on said assembly, a U-shaped shaftlocated in close proximity to said member and having opposed legportions and a connecting bight portion for acported at one end foruniversal movement by said power unit and supported at its other end:for universal movement by said frame and body ascommodating movement ofsaidcontrol member between said leg portions, said shaft beingsupsembly, said means being adapted to rotate said ciproc'ation ofsaidrod.

shaft about one axis when actuated by the vehicle driver and a secondmeans to transmit rotation of said shaft to said transmission to effeeta change in speed ratio drive therein.

2. In a motor vehicle, a frame and body assembly, a power unit includinga variable speed ratio transmission mounted for movement relative to.said frame and body .assembly, means mounted. within: said frame; andbody assembly for changing the speed ratio drive in said transmission, acontrol member mounted for movement on said assembly, a U-shaped shaftlocated in close' proximity to said member and having opposedlegportionsand a connecting bight portion for accommodating movement ofsaid consaid power unit and a universal joint support for the other endof said shaft on said frame and body assembly, a second means toaccommodate changes in the distance between .said supports, an operativeconnection ofgsaid'shaft and, said first means within the frame and bodyassembly and an operative connectionbetween saidsha'ft and saidtransmission whereby said shaft transmits motion to effect a changeintransmission speed ratio drive and movement of said universal jointsupports and said second means accommodates relative movement of saidpower plantand frame'and body assembly without moving said first, meansrelative to said frame and body assembly. 7 1 i 1 V 3., In a motorvehicle, a framejand body assembly, a p-owerunit includingavariablespeed ratio transmissionmounted for movement relative to said frame andbody assembly and having a pair of shift railsa means for controllingthespeed ratio drive in said transmission comprising a rodpenetratingthe operators compartment ofthe vehicle and adapted forrotation and reciprocation, a first con'trolelement on said transmissionadaptedto select one of said, railsand a second control element adaptedto shift said selected first a nection between said secondcontrolelementand said shaft adjacentsaid second means, anda control means,operatively connecting said rodand said first: controlelement'independently of said .shaft and adapted to be actuated duringsaid re- .;;V;J,AV EN REFERENCES orrEn The following referencesare ofrecord in the file of thispartent:

UNI'IEDSTATESV PATENTS Name Date

